


Two Twins and a Beanstalk

by Chizu5645



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Human, Crossover, Gen, jack and the beanstalk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 03:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12379947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chizu5645/pseuds/Chizu5645
Summary: Two twins looked up at the gigantic beanstalk before them. One was awestruck. The other was concerned.





	Two Twins and a Beanstalk

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant as a school assignment where you had to write a fairy tale, and I decided to do a crossover of Hetalia and Jack and the Beanstalk. Originally, this was supposed to be 3,000 words long but being the novelist I am I'm closer to 5,000... >.> So yeah, this is pretty long. But hey, it's still pretty heckin' cool. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> ((the ending is a little rushed, I know, but I needed to finish it so I could turn it in on time soooooo yeah))

Two twins looked up at the gigantic beanstalk before them. One was awestruck. The other was concerned. 

“See, I told you those beans were special,” Alfred pointed out, gesturing to the beanstalk and grinning.

Madeline just continued staring. Honestly, she was just appalled at the fact that the stupid beans Alfred had brought home last night grew this fast, this high, on the sandy beach.

Alfred squinted. “You can’t even see the top of it,” he whispered. “See, Maddie? I told you getting those beans were worth it.”

“You traded our only cow, Alfred, our _only cow,_ for some beans that can grow a lot faster than normal. They were worth it, you’re absolutely right.” She kicked the base of the stalk. “We can’t even eat a beanstalk, Alfred.”

Alfred wasn't listening at this point. He took a few steps back as if to get a better view of the top. "You think there's anything up there?"

Despite herself, Madeline looked up too. Bedtime stories of giants in the sky and merfolk in the ocean made her reminiscent of the days their parents were alive, but she shook her head and the memories away. “Damn it, Alfred, I don’t have time for this,” she snapped. “I’ll have to work extra hours at the bakery because you can’t sell a cow properly.”

“Hey! The old guy said that the magic beans were worth a fortune!”

“Well, it’s not as if they’re worth anything _now_. They’ve grown.” Madeline gave an exasperated sigh. “I’m going to change for work. Earn more gold, maybe. Please don’t destroy the house while I’m gone.”

Alfred stuck his tongue out at his sister before returning his attention to the beanstalk. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a great idea to sell their only cow for a few beans of questionable origin. And maybe it wasn’t the best idea to throw the beans out the window during a night that heralded storm clouds. To be fair, no plants had rooted themselves in the sandy beach beside their house for years, so how would they know that the beans would grow?

He heard Madeline close the entrance door to their house.

The man did say that the beans would grow to the sky when planted. At the time Alfred thought the old guy maybe exaggerated a little in saying that, but the old man was true to his word. And didn’t the man say that adventure and fortune awaited those who planted it?

When Madeline had walked a good distance away from the house and wouldn’t be able to spot Alfred from the distance, he jumped and climbed on one of the thicker tendrils of the stalk. Swinging, he landed on one of the broader leaves. It held his weight.

Well then.

At that, he continued climbing.

Halfway during his climb, it occurred to Alfred that he didn’t eat breakfast. Nor did he bring a coat for the cold temperatures. Blisters started to appear on his hands, and his feet were sore from standing on his tip-toes at times. Twice he had almost fallen, and once he actually _did_ fall; fortunately, he grabbed a stray vine just in time and almost wrenched his shoulder.

Otherwise, the climb was going great.

Soon enough, he could see the tip of the beanstalk. It poked itself over a hole between the clouds for a few feet before stopping. He determinedly scrambled the rest of the way up, only stopping when his head poked through the clouds.

Alfred had always thought that the area above the clouds looked a little like heaven, with angels flying about, areas where you could look down at the earth below, and maybe a few paved roads of gold too. A place that mirrored earth, except fewer troubles.

Not exactly the barren land Alfred saw now.

Alfred didn’t think twice when he jumped from the beanstalk to the cloud-like ground. White puffs stirred when he landed, like ethereal dust. He scanned the immediate area, looking for signs of life, but there was nothing.

He was about to climb down in defeat (so much for adventure and fortune) when he spotted a large house in the distance.

A house? In the clouds? Well, a house meant people, which meant life, which certainly meant adventure!

It took a while, but eventually, he reached the house. Now that he was closer, it seemed a lot bigger than before. Bigger, as in it made castles seem like stones in comparison to this abnormally large cottage. The steps leading to the entrance were as tall as Alfred himself, and he struggled in climbing over them to reach the door. When he pushed the door open — unlocked, he noted — he snuck inside.

The inside looked to the other cottages down in the village below, if not for the gigantic proportions. Everything seemed to be fashioned out of wood, which was strange since Alfred didn’t see any tree outside the house, whether large or regular sized. He strolled over to the kitchen area, where the tallest kitchen counter and table he had ever seen towered over him. The pantry, which was open to view, held various items that were at least twenty times larger than their normal sizes. Alfred then caught a whiff of something overpowering; was that bread baking in the oven?

He climbed onto one of the chairs surrounding the table. If he could get on the table, he would be able to get a better view of the area and find another place to explore. However, when he had clambered over the table and laid his eyes on an oddly colored bowl filled with butter, all thoughts on exploration disappeared. He hadn’t had butter since _forever._ Slowly, he walked towards the bowl in a sneaky matter, just about to scoop some in his hands—

He didn’t even hear the footsteps nearing the kitchen.

“How strange,” a gentle, unknown voice remarked. “I didn’t know we’d have guests.”

Alfred froze. His hand was still in the process of scooping butter, and his upper body was balancing precariously on the rim of the bowl. Slowly, he turned his head to see an abnormally large woman stare with mild shock at him. A moment later, however, she started to advance. Alfred tensed up; he was going to die wasn’t he? To think, he was going to die before he had even seen a glimpse of treasure, all by the hand of a giant.

He yelped when he was lifted by the back of his shirt, flailing in the air until he was eye-level with the giant.

“Curious. I didn’t think the little folk visited anymore,” the lady-giant chuckled, an easy smile on her face. She cupped her other hand and placed Alfred down, which was a little more comfortable for Alfred but not at all less scary. “Did Peter leave the door unlocked? Silly child. He can never remember to lock the door when he comes home.”

The lady-giant wore something similar to Madeline’s work clothes: a robin blue dress with an apron tied in the back. She seemed like one of those old ladies that sat in rocking chairs and sewed dresses for the little girls. The idea made Alfred relax a little.

“I saw you reaching for the bowl of butter. Are you hungry?”

“Yes,” Alfred replied without hesitation. If Madeline was here, she would’ve berated him for being so rude. His stomach pushed the notion away quickly.

Another chuckle. “Just a moment, then.” The lady-giant set Alfred back down on the table and hurried to the oven. She stuck in a bread paddle and, slowly, slid a steaming hot loaf out of the oven and on the counter. Waving steam away with her free hand, she set down the bread paddle and took the hot loaf — with her bare hands! — and set it on a cutting board. “You’ve caught me at a good time, actually. My husband’s out and my son — Peter, the dear soul — is still in bed. If he saw you now, he’d liken you to a plaything I bet!” She took a glance at Alfred for a moment, then turned back to the bread and took a large knife. “Although, you will want to be out by the time Peter wakes up. Easier to explain a bit of loaf missing than a small folk.” When the lady-giant cut the end piece of bread, the sharp sound of metal on wood sounded like thunder. She gasped. “Ah! I haven’t even introduced myself!” Placing the small slice of bread on a platter as big as a bed, she set it down before Alfred. “My name is Anya. And you?”

“Alfred.” He could feel the heat radiating from the bread. “And— Thanks for the bread.” The slice was half his height and twice his length, and after mustering his courage he took a handful of bread and ate a little. It was the best bread he had ever tasted.

Anya nodded in satisfaction before slicing up a larger piece of bread. “Now, little one. Do you mind telling me why you’ve come up here?”

Alfred explained everything, from the twin's tight living conditions to the beanstalk. He might've embellished the tale a little, but otherwise, he spoke the truth. Anya grew increasingly concerned as the tale went on, and when Alfred had finished she looked deeply worried.

"Dear me... Is that what you all have to suffer through?" She asked, her hands firmly in her lap.

Alfred shrugged. “I mean, not _everyone..._ But Maddie and I do. We’re kind of used to it at this point.”

Anya’s perturbed look stayed for a moment longer before she excused herself from the table. When she came back, she placed a full sack as big as a flour bag in front of Alfred.

“Consider it a gift,” she said. “My husband may call me a bleeding heart, but I know when someone’s in trouble. It’s not as if we’re in desperate need of gold anymore.” She smiled. “I’ve missed you tiny folk. You always bring such interesting tales.”

Alfred couldn’t believe his eyes. A whole sack of gold? Just for him? He opened it a little to see that it indeed was filled to the brim with gold coins. How rich he and Madeline would be! He was about to thank Anya for her overflowing generosity when loud stomps interrupted.

“Muuuuumm! Who’re you talking to!”

Anya whirled towards the voice. “No one, dear!” She then faced Alfred. “Come, dear; into my pocket.” Before Alfred could even stand up, Anya plucked him by the back of his shirt and placed him securely in her apron pocket. “Stay quiet.”

Alfred could barely move in the starched pocket anyway. However, his hearing wasn’t as inhabited; he could hear more stomps — now down stairs — and more excited hollering. Briefly, Alfred felt glad that he wasn’t meeting the son face-to-face.

“But I swore I heard you talking to someone!” The boy shouted. “Was it a new friend? Of mine or yours?”

“I was practicing voices for bedtime stories,” Anya lied smoothly. “You didn’t hear anyone.”

“... Oh.”

“And why are you still in your night clothes? I told you that you should be changed when you eat your breakfast.”

“But Mum—”

“No buts! Off with you.”

There was a moment of silence before Alfred heard the son’s footsteps retreat upstairs.

Alfred felt himself being plucked from the apron pocket, and he gasped for fresh air. The pocket, while cozy, didn’t have the greatest smell. He noticed Anya picking up the sack of gold as well.

“Right then. You should probably go now,” Anya noted as she snuck a glance behind. “Peter is a fine boy, just... Not when he’s playing.” She pushed the door open and gently dropped both Alfred and the sack down. “Will you be okay carrying this?”

“I’ll be fine! Thanks!” Alfred laughed. Ohh boy, Madeline’s going to be amazed when she sees this.

"That's good." Anya stepped back inside, smiling. "I wish you well," she said, and with that, she closed the door.

Alfred grinned. Now _that_ was an adventure.

* * *

 

When Madeline first saw what Alfred brought home, she accused him of stealing the gold at first. But after some convincing, she eventually let it be used and the twins lived comfortably on the gold.

Soon, however, their funds started dwindling again.

“Well... We _could_ go back up there,” Alfred suggested as he glanced out the window. The beanstalk could be viewed outside their window, and while it blocked a good portion of the beach, it didn’t obstruct the view much.

“You couldn’t. The lady-giant would recognize you, and how will you explain yourself this time?” Madeline sighed. “If anyone is going up the beanstalk, it’ll be me.”

“Wait, _you_?” Alfred asked, incredulous. “Why you?”

Madeline glared. “Would you rather it be a milkmaid?”

At the end, they both agreed that Madeline would climb this time. Not only would she be a new face, her thin stature let her hide a lot easier from the giants’ son. After changing into more suitable climbing clothes and bidding her brother a quick farewell (and a promise for more fortune), she started to climb.

Bold as she was, Madeline had more difficulty climbing the beanstalk than her brother. However, that was only because her arms weren’t as built up as Alfred’s, so she relied on the leaves rather than the vines. Eventually, she was able to climb up to the top easily enough, and she only hesitated for a moment before swinging onto the cloud ground.

When Alfred first told her about the giants, she was skeptical. Even if the sack of gold was living proof that they existed, Madeline took Alfred’s words with a grain of salt. But as she neared the same colossal cottage Alfred spoke of, she had to admit that Alfred might’ve spoken the truth. She approached the tall set of steps leading to the entrance and noted with displeasure that they were too high for her to climb. There had to be another way in.

On the far side of the house, there indeed was another entrance. A wicker basket stood beside a low window, which had what seemed like laundry spilling over the brim. The material of the weave dug into Madeline’s hands, but she was able to climb over the rim of the basket and onto the windowsill. She then stepped down over the various piles of clothes onto the ground.

Madeline strained her ears to hear something, but there wasn’t even a whisper in the air. Slowly, she crept behind more baskets and more piles of clean linens (a whole room dedicated to laundry, what a concept) as she kept her eyes and ears sharp. Where was the lady-giant Alfred mentioned? Madeline bit her lip; pity she didn’t end up in the kitchen like her brother.

Soon, she exited the laundry room and into a section of hallway. Madeline could see the parlor and the stairs to the right of where she stood, but no kitchen. In the hallway in front of her, there were two doors: one was securely shut with its doorknob to high for her to reach while the other didn’t have a door at all. At first glance, there was nothing in the room, but as Madeline neared it and snuck a peek inside she realized that it actually served as a playroom.

The room in of itself could have fitted a whole castle. Toys ranging from wooden figurines to upside-down tops to open books scattered the ground. A multi-colored (yet faded) quilt that served as a rug laid underneath over a wooden floor. There were no torches, but two windows provided adequate lighting to the room. Madeline counted four chests in total, with one of them tipped over and spilling more toys on the ground. She walked to the middle of the room, where the toys gathered the most, and picked up a puzzle piece three-quarters her size. If this was a child’s puzzle piece, how big was the actual child?

“Who’re you?”

Madeline gasped loudly, whirling around and dropping the puzzle piece. What startled her, even more, was the fact that this childish, feminine voice didn’t belong to any of the inhabitants of the cottage, but instead a _bear_.

Other than its alarmingly winter-white fur and tame demeanor, the bear looked like the ones that lived in the forests. Or, at least it looked like one of the adolescent bears Madeline had seen in pictures. Its large, black eyes stared up at Madeline in awe, as if it hadn’t seen a normal-sized human in its life. The bear slowly crept up to Madeline, echoing its question: “Who’re you?”

Madeline gulped. “I’m— I’m Maddie,” she choked out. Why she was responding to the talking bear, and even with her nickname, not even Madeline knew.

Satisfied with the answer, the bear lumbered closer to Madeline, sniffing profusely, until it nudged at the bag tied around Madeline’s waist. “Gold,” the bear muttered, nudging. It looked up at Madeline again expectantly. “Gold.”

Confused, Madeline opened the bag the bear was nudging at and reached in. She took out two gold coins that were sitting at the bottom, the pay she had received the day before and forgotten all peek. Madeline stared at the bear in surprise.

“Can you... Sniff out gold?” She whispered at the bear.

The bear didn't respond but instead licked the hand that held the two gold coins. Her hand loosened, and the bear bit one of the coins. Madeline almost gave a shout at that until she took a closer look; somehow, there were now three coins in her hand, as if the bitten coin had split into two.

“... Oh,” was all Madeline could manage. She offered one of the split coins. “Can you split this one?”

It shook its head, mentioned “fresh”, and ignored the offered coin to bite the other unbitten coin. Like its twin, it also split into two.

Madeline laughed at the discovery. With this bear, her and Alfred’s savings would double. And, if the bear really could sniff out gold, they could be even richer. She stroked the bear under its chin. In return, the bear purred.

Now, Madeline thought, to find that lady-giant and ask permission to keep the bear—

Footsteps rang with thunder, and both Madeline and the bear jumped. The bear scampered behind one of the toy chests, and Madeline joined him. She pressed herself to the wall as she listened to a conversation:

“Papa, I can’t find Kuma!” A boy shouted. The son that Alfred talked about, Madeline guessed.

Deeper, indistinguishable mumbles responded. The father, maybe. Madeline would’ve inched closer to the source of the voices but the bear stubbornly stayed put.

“I told you, she wasn’t in the toy room! She wasn’t in the storage room either! You have to help me find her!”

Madeline frowned. At first, she was inclined to think they were talking about her, but the boy had mentioned a "Kuma". Who on earth were they talking about? —

“You know Kumamarie always does this! She doesn’t like me; she only cares about eating your gold!”

Kumamarie was the bear.

Madeline stole a glance towards the bear — Kumamarie. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but it looked like Kumamarie was frowning.

Madeline put a hand on the bear’s shoulder. “You don’t like it here, don’t you?”

Kumamarie gave a high-pitched grumble.

Madeline scanned the room. The closest window to them had a chest sitting underneath with its lid partially open. If Madeline could stack some blocks, she could easily get Kumamarie and herself to climb through the window. But how would they get down...? The curtains? It was the only option.

After waiting to hear the boy’s footsteps retreat upstairs, Madeline broke into a sprint.

 The wooden blocks were lighter than she realized; she still couldn’t lift them, but they glided easily against the wooden floor. She pushed two blocks that were already stacked first, then pushed three other single blocks to surround the stacked ones. Kumamarie slowly ambled over to Madeline just as she pushed the last block in place.

“Come on, Kuma — can I call you that? — we’ll get you free,” Madeline guided, stepping up on one of the blocks.

Kumamarie soon mirrored Madeline, doubtful.

The two slowly climbed their way up the blocks, on the lip of the chest, and soon on the chest’s lid. Kumamarie had gained more assurance as they climbed higher, and the bear jumped to the window sill first before Madeline even had a chance. Using the curtains, the two latched on tight as they shimmied down.

Madeline heard the boy again: “Don’t say that, Papa! Kuma couldn’t have run away! You make it seem as if you _want_ her to be gone!”

Kumamarie snorted in response.

* * *

 With Kumamarie and her special abilities as a new member of the household, the twins were able to live comfortably for the first time in years. Kumamarie not only did her job well to find gold and double it (Madeline reasoned that they only double half of their income, so as not to draw suspicion) but made a fine job as a guard and a companion. It took Alfred a while to get used to a white bear living in the same quarters as he was, but soon enough they were friends.

They didn’t think much about the beanstalk until a month later.

“We should cut the beanstalk down,” Madeline noted with displeasure after dinner.

Alfred raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Aww, but why?”

“Because we don’t need to go up there again,” Madeline explained. “We got our adventure, we got our fortune. We have Kuma. Why do we need to keep it?”

“We could always visit the giants!” Alfred explained. “I mean, Anya seemed like she’d want to see us. And you didn’t even meet her! You could have a chance to meet her!”

“The beanstalk blocks the view.”

Alfred groaned. “Well, do we have to cut it _now_?”

“Maybe not,” Madeline shrugged. “But we really need it gone; it’s not as light here.”

The two stayed silent for a moment. Kumamarie strolled up to Madeline’s side, and she scratched the bear under her chin.

“... Maybe we can go up again?”

Now it was Madeline’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “What’s the point of that?”

Alfred grinned. "You know! We could go back up there for one last adventure! Say goodbye to Anya, maybe meet her husband, or even explore the house more! Neither of us has been upstairs, have we?"

Kumamarie gave a little whine when Madeline stopped scratching her to readjust her seat. “Even if I wanted to do that, when would we? The bakery wasn’t as appreciative of me skipping work last time, and I don’t want to risk asking for a day off.”

Alfred bit his lip in thought. “We... _could_ go tonight,” he suggested in a low voice.

“Tonight?” Madeline echoed.

“Yeah, tonight! I mean, we won’t stay the whole night, just a quick visit. After that, we can cut down the beanstalk, no complaints.” Alfred’s eyes twinkled at the plan. “What do you think?”

Madeline pondered on the idea for a bit. A little adventure did seem fun, and maybe she could formally ask if they could keep Kumamarie. She then nodded in consent.

Kumamarie was stationed outside as guard, and after assuring that they had everything, the twins climbed onto the beanstalk for the third time. The climb went a lot faster since they knew where to climb and they could assist each other at times. It took them no time to reach the top.

“If they’re asleep, we _don’t_ bother them,” Madeline hissed as they hiked along the trail.

“Oh, come on. They’re probably going to be awake, there’s still some light out.” Alfred argued, shrugging. Madeline just sighed in response.

They entered the same way Madeline did since that entrance was closer to the stairs. There was more folded laundry than before, so the twins were able to drop into the laundry room easily. Alfred was tempted to light the lantern to see better, but it stayed by his hip. The twins couldn't hear anything as they took turns boosting each other up the stairs.

But just as Alfred boosted Madeline up the final step upstairs, Madeline kicked Alfred. “Put me down!” She hissed urgently, and he lowered her quickly.

 “Why’d you kick me?” He hissed back, rubbing his arms.

Madeline jabbed a thumb above the step. “The son. He’s _there_.”

“... Boost me up.” Madeline put her hands together and Alfred used them as a stepping stool to see above the step. He peered closely at the sight of a boy in some sort of sailor’s uniform sitting on the floor with some toys. He played by a desk of some sort, which held a lantern that gave an orange glow. Other than two beds and a window, nothing else decorated the room.

Alfred squinted. “... Is he alone?” He muttered, trying to climb over the step. Madeline had to yank him down to get him back down. “Hey, I was being careful!”

“We’re getting out,” Madeline fiercely whispered. “Kuma didn’t like the boy because he played too roughly. That’s what she said. How do you think he’ll treat us?”

Alfred bit his lip. “But if we meet Anya, she’ll protect us!”

“Anya might not even be here! Or, if anything, she’s downstairs. We’ll meet her there, how about that? Come on, let’s go back down.” Madeline was about to slide down the step when she stopped, frowning. “... Why is it getting lighter?”

Alfred made a face. “What do you mean? —”

"Oh! There are _mice_ down here!”

Both Alfred and Madeline whipped their heads towards the source of the voice. Towering above them was the young boy, holding his lantern high and proud.

He grinned. “You two would make great playthings! Can you play with me?”

No one moved for a moment, before Madeline shouted, “ _Run_!”

Alfred dodged the boy’s hands as he followed Madeline down the stairs. The boy didn’t chase them at first, perhaps startled by Madeline's panicked shout, but soon the stairs shook as the boy gave chase. “Come ooooooonn!” The boy hollered. “Play with me!”

Madeline and Alfred ran for their dear lives when they finally touched the first floor, heading for the parlor. The boy stumbled when he reached the bottom step, which gave the twins more time to dive under a table with a quilt draped over. Alfred and Madeline panted hard as they collected their breaths.

“How did he hear us?!” Madeline whispered. She leaned on one of the table legs for support, her face red.

“I think— Giants— Good hearing— Haaaah...” Alfred said between gasps.

The boy's footsteps slowed, and then stopped altogether. "Oh, mice! Won't you play with me? Ooh, and I’ll show you two to Mum and Papa! They’ll like you very much!”

Madeline lifted the quilt a little and blanched at the sight. “He’s looking for us, oh God...”

Alfred took a deep breath. “Ohh-kay. How are escaping out of this one?”

Madeline dropped the quilt. “We—” She stopped, then moved closer to whisper in Alfred’s ear. “We wait until he’s closer, then we run under his legs and to the laundry room.”

Alfred frowned. “Why not the entrance?”

“It might be locked.” Madeline stepped back to lift the quilt again and pointed towards the direction of the laundry room. Alfred also lifted the quilt in a different corner, and the two waited with bated breath. 

The boy was still between the kitchen and the parlor. He took a peek inside the kitchen before he turned to trot to the parlor.

“Mice...” The boy called in a soft sing-song voice. “Mice... Come here, come here...” His face then brightened at the sight of Madeline, and then Alfred. “Oh, there you are—”

Both twins dashed around the boy’s legs, startling him. The boy grasped for Madeline, but he barely missed her as she wove out of reach. Giving an indignant cry, the boy stomped after the twins into the laundry room.

Alfred climbed onto the shortest pile of clothes, and Madeline followed him closely. With Alfred always a pile ahead of Madeline, they ascended the tower of clothes and linens. Once Alfred reached the window sill, Madeline reached for his hand—

— beanstalk

Both the twins gasped, Madeline from the loss of standing ground, Alfred from the sudden weight. They dangled for a moment before Alfred pulled Madeline up and they fell back into the wicker basket outside.

The boy gave a high-pitched whine. “Oh, come on, now I have to clean that—”

Neither Alfred nor Madeline heard the rest of what he had to say as they sprinted further, further away from the giants’ house. Once they reached the beanstalk, they paused to take a break.

“Well, that was an adventure,” Alfred airily laughed.

Madeline nodded. “Quite.” She gave the beanstalk a withering look. “You okay with chopping the beanstalk down now?”

Alfred grinned. “... Yeah.”

 


End file.
